Federal Sentences in the District of Wyoming, FY2016–2025
The District of Wyoming sentenced 1,828 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and judges ordered restitution for 846 of them, or 46%. People sent to prison in Wyoming received a median term of 44 months, compared with 24 months for all 94 federal districts. Drug trafficking was the most common offens
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In brief: The District of Wyoming sentenced 1,828 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and judges ordered restitution for 846 of them, or 46%. People sent to prison in Wyoming received a median term of 44 months, compared with 24 months for all 94 federal districts. Drug trafficking was the most common offense type, at 34% of the district.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 1,828 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Restitution and Fines in Wyoming
Restitution is an order to repay victims for losses. Wyoming judges ordered it for 846 people, which is 46% of everyone sentenced in the district.
Fines were ordered for 211 people (12%). Neither figure shows how much money was ordered or whether it was paid.
Drug Trafficking and Other Offense Types
The Sentencing Commission counted 613 drug trafficking sentences (34%), with a median prison term of 82 months. Firearms cases accounted for 308 people (17%) and a median of 37 months.
Immigration covered 286 people (16%), with a median prison term of 1.8 months. Fraud, theft, and embezzlement covered 108 people and assault 103, each 6% of the district.
Child pornography (images of child exploitation) accounted for 100 people (5%), with a median term of 66 months. Sexual abuse accounted for 91 people (5%), with a median of 144 months. A separate category for obscenity and other sex offenses held 37 people.
| Offense type | People sentenced | Share of district | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Trafficking | 613 | 34% | 82 months | 97% |
| Firearms | 308 | 17% | 37 months | 97% |
| Immigration | 286 | 16% | 1.8 months | more than 99% |
| Fraud/Theft/Embezzlement | 108 | 6% | 18 months | 96% |
| Assault | 103 | 6% | 31 months | 94% |
| Child Pornography | 100 | 5% | 66 months | 99% |
| Sexual Abuse | 91 | 5% | 144 months | 92% |
| Obscenity/Other Sex Offenses | 37 | 2% | 18 months | 100% |
How Long Were Prison Terms?
Prison was part of the sentence for 1,719 of the 1,828 people (94%). The all-district share was 91%. 88 people (5%) received probation only.
The median prison term was 44 months, or 3.7 years. A quarter of terms were 92 months or more. A quarter were 14 months or less. 5 people received life.
All of these are terms imposed by a judge. The data does not show time served.
Mandatory Minimums and the Guideline Range
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 586 people, or 32%. A mandatory minimum is a floor in the statute that the judge generally cannot go below.
Guideline information is available for 1,816 people. Within-range sentences numbered 619 (34%), lower than the 48% for all districts. The largest group, 788 (43%), were below the range at the government's request.
Another 361 (20%) were below the range with no government request, and 48 (3%) were above it.
Pleas, Trials, and Plea Agreements
In Wyoming, 1,771 people pleaded guilty (97%) and 57 were convicted at trial. The plea share matches all districts.
Following a guilty plea, the median prison term was 42 months. Following a trial, it was 121 months, based on 54 people. That trial group is small.
A written plea agreement was part of 94% of guilty pleas, and 3% were straight pleas.
Supervision and Prior Records
Supervised release was ordered for 1,469 people (80%), with a median of 36 months; 20 people received it for life.
In the criminal history categories, 33% of people were in category I and 13% were in category VI.
Fiscal Year Counts and What Is Missing
Wyoming sentenced 850 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2019 and 978 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Yearly counts are small, between 138 and 233, so a yearly median can move with a handful of cases.
F.E. Warren AFB is in Wyoming and appears in this site's court-martial data. Its courts-martial are tried in military courts, not in this district court. The Commission data also excludes acquittals and dismissed cases.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 216 | 36 months | 97% |
| 2017 | 233 | 37 months | 97% |
| 2018 | 219 | 43 months | 97% |
| 2019 | 182 | 41 months | 98% |
| 2020 | 160 | 42 months | 98% |
| 2021 | 171 | 40.5 months | 98% |
| 2022 | 149 | 60 months | 95% |
| 2023 | 138 | 48 months | 96% |
| 2024 | 179 | 51 months | 97% |
| 2025 | 181 | 41 months | 95% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Wyoming (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Wyoming") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (1,828). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Drug Use: Courts-Martial at F.E. Warren AFB vs. Federal Court in the District of Wyoming (installation comparison)
- How Often Federal Judges Sentence Outside the Guideline Range
- Mandatory Minimums: How Many Federal Sentences Are Set by Congress
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.